TUESDAY PDB – We need to do more to honor those who died for us. And their families. A lot more. On Memorial Day, let's remember the price paid for what we have.
Arlington National Cemetery's headstones speak with silent eloquence of the price paid for freedom.
JUST ONE OF THE MANY WHO HAVE DIED IN SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY – Remembering the always smiling Spc. Rudolph Hizon. Hizon immigrated to the United States and joined the Army soon after. He was serving in Afghanistan when he was killed in an insurgent attack.
We broke our promise to take care of Gold Star families. There is an unspoken promise America has whispered to service members and their families for centuries: If something happens to you, we will take care of your family.
What's to become of the keepsakes left at Arlington Cemetery? Thousands of mementos have been placed on the graves of those lost to America's post-9/11 wars. The collection needs a new home.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here's a roundup of today's other top defense stories from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.
Not the President's Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL'S DAILY BRIEFING – the PDB:
NATIONAL SECURITY
Simple drones, complex problems. Fatal attacks on U.S. troops in the Middle East, harassment of ships in the Red Sea and the balance of power in Russia's war against Ukraine share a dangerous common thread: the rise of cheap drones.
America's military has the edge in space. China and Russia are in a counterspace race to disrupt it. As Russian forces rolled over the Ukraine border in the first moments of their invasion, another, less visible onslaught was already underway – a cyberattack that crippled internet linked to a satellite communications network.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin underwent a medical procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Friday evening and has resumed duty after temporarily transferring power to his deputy.
WHAT COULD GO WRONG? – Space Force inches closer to classified remote work. The platform could be a popular remote-work solution for Space Systems Command.
POLITICS
HIS WORDS RING HOLLOW – Biden says each generation has to earn freedom, in Memorial Day speech. Joe Biden pledged that the U.S. would continue the work of the nation's fallen toward creating a more perfect union, “for which they lived, and for which they died for.”
WISH HE WOULD REFRAIN FROM THAT JUST ONE DAY ON SOLEMN OCCASIONS – In between Truth Social posts praising veterans for their service, Trump spends Memorial Day lashing out at “Human Scum,” E. Jean Carroll, judges.
ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST TERROR
TELL THEM TO POUND SAND – UN court order demanding that Israel halt its Gaza offensive further isolates the US position. This, over an Israeli military operation in the city of Rafah that faces mounting international condemnation but that American officials describe, at least for now, as limited and targeted.
US POWER OVERSEAS
BIDEN'S GAZA FOLLY – US Army vessels supporting Gaza aid break free, beach on Israeli coast. Four Army vessels supporting the maritime humanitarian aid mission in Gaza broke free from their moorings due to heavy sea states Saturday.
Navy gave Combat Action Ribbon to 7 ships as more details emerge of Red Sea combat. Six U.S. warships, in addition to the USS Carney, that deployed to the Middle East to fend off attacks by Houthi rebels were given prestigious military awards for actions “under enemy fire.”
Japan announces plans to join US in RIMPAC joint-force drills in June. One of America's largest warfighting exercises in the Pacific is getting bigger with the addition of Japanese forces.
Japan's special forces need more ‘regional' cooperation. “We need more regional cooperation to enhance [Japanese] SOF,” said the Deputy Commander of the Japan's Self Defense Force's Amphibious Brigade.
US forces train with joint forces in the Pacific, strengthen ties. This, as the Pentagon increases its focus on prepping for potential conflict in the islands of the Pacific.
CHINA THREAT
US lawmakers pledge support for Taiwan and its new president after China's military drills. A U.S. congressional delegation met Taiwan's new leader on Monday in a show of support days after China held drills around the self-governing island in response to his inauguration.
The US defense secretary will visit Cambodia, one of China's closest allies, after regional talks. This, after holding talks with his Chinese counterpart at an annual security conference in Singapore.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Pentagon unveils new Ukraine weapons package amid Russian offensives. For the fourth time since a $95 billion foreign aid bill passed this April, the Pentagon is sending a package of weapons to Ukraine.
Belgium gives Ukraine nearly €1B in military aid, including 30 supersonic fighters. Ukraine and Belgium have signed a security agreement which includes the delivery of the U.S.-made F-16 jets.
Ukraine's Zelenskyy gets more air defense missiles from Spain to fight deadly Russian glide bombs. This, to help fight the about 3,000 bombs that he says Russia launches every month at Ukraine.
Ukraine's air defense woes can't be fixed by American aid. Ukraine's air defenses are succumbing to myriad air threats that cannot be held off, despite the recent $61 billion aid bill.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine has taken back control in areas of Kharkiv, aerial attacks continue. Ukrainian forces have secured “combat control” of areas where Russian troops entered the northeastern region earlier this month.
NATO member Poland eyes fortifications on its border with Russian ally Belarus.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
North Korea's launch of a second military spy satellite fails. This, after an engine exploded mid flight and crashed into the nearby water.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
DRAFT THEM ALL, LET GOD SORT THEM OUT – UK Conservatives want mandatory national service. Gen Z is cringing. Rishi Sunak's general election pitch inspired a wave of Gen Z memes. “If you can fix your parents' iPad, then you can fix an Apache helicopter,” said one TikTok.
CHERNOBYL, ANYONE? – Russia to build Central Asia's first nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan. The small nuclear reactor will be the first such project in post-Soviet Central Asia
US MILITARY
Marines say no more ‘death by PowerPoint' as Corps overhauls education. Marines and those who teach them will see more direct, problem-solving approaches to how they learn.
Autonomous aerial grenade launcher? New firearms headed for the skies. Aimlock shows off a host of new drone tech featuring everything from rifles to machine guns mounted to drone systems.
END of PDB
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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